Winged Sweet Peas
June 25, 2010
Purple sweet peas growing in a parking strip
“Here are sweet-peas, on tip-toe for flight:
With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white,
And taper fingers catching at all things,
To bind them all about with tiny rings.”
— John Keats, from “I Stood Tiptoe Upon a Little Hill”
These purple sweet peas grow wild around here. We even have some in our bushes. They aren’t fragrant though. The pink and white ones at the vendors’ stalls in the Pike Place Market perfume the air with their fragrance.
I found a lovely botanical print of sweet peas at http://www.botanicus.org/page/1267992. Here it is:
Lathyrus odoratus
Rosemary's Blog 
June 25, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Sweet peas just might be one of the prettiest flowers I’ve ever seen!
June 26, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Wild sweet peas are a favorite of mine and also my Aunt Mary who arrived at the summer cabin this week. We are both thrilled that some have finally taken root near our pathway to the beach.
June 27, 2010 at 7:59 am
I love the fragrance of sweet peas but they are difficult to grow in our heat. I bought a packet of seeds at Monticello to try. The older varieties have more fragrance.